Fruit-box.



W. R. STOKELY.

FRUIT BOX.

APPLICATION FILED snmau, 1907.

904,571 Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

WELLS ll. STClKlQLY, OF ST.

FR'UETQE 03.1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

' Application filed September 2d, 190?. Serial No. 394,298.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLS R. STOKELY,

. citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Augustine, in the county of St. Johns and .State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvementsv in Frnit-lloxcs, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention has reference to fruit boxes, more particularly fruit boxes of the cylindrical type; and it contemplates the provision in a fruit box of a simple and inexpensive construction, whereby partitions inter posed between pieces of fruit or vegetables may be adjusted to a nicety to snugly fit pieces of fruit or vegetables of varying sizes and yet may be positively fixed to the walls between which they extend, this latter being materially advantageous since the positive engagement between the partitions and the walls precludes falling of the partitions in the event "of any of the pieces of fruit or vegetables withering or otherwise shrinking in size.

Other advantageous features peculiar to my invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read 1n connection with the acand more particularly to Fl 1 and '2 thereofc A is the body of the box which is preferably cylindrical in form and is provided with apertures a for ventilating purposes and is also provided with hoops l). The ends of the said body A may he closed by any suitable means, though I prefer to employ for the purpose heads B which are similar in construction to the heads constituting the subject matter of my contemporary application of even date herewith, Serial llumhcr 294,295.

' Super-posed or arranged one above the other intthe body A and extending from lhe lower end to the upper end thereoi arc the fruiteholders C of my invention. These fruit holders C are identical in construction and therefore a detailed description of the one show-n zit the top of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2 will snliice to impart a. definite understanding of all; The mentioned 't'ruit holder (l comprises a horizontal partition or bottom wall 0 which is circular in. form and ot a diameter lo tit snugly within the cylindrical body A, inner, ii'lterincdiate and outer circular walls (Z, c, and f. respectively arranged on and exlendingnpward from the. bottom wall 0, and corrugated or fluted, as indicated by g, radial partitions fiextending between the circular alls d and and radial walls 9' extending between the circular walls c and f. The said bottom wall, circular walls and partitions are formed of pastel'ioard because of the lightness and cl'ieapness of such material, but in this connection I desire it understood that the said walls and partitions may be -harmed of any material compatible with the pu. 'posc oi my invention without involving departure from the scope of my invention as defined in the claim appended.

ll. will be appreciated from the foregoing that the corrugations y; oi the circular walls of the holders (1 alibi-d vertical ways or grooves m at frequent. intervals in the length of the walls. and thai the purlilions and '1' may be readily placed in and removed from opposite ways or grooves of the walls. and when so placed there is no liability of the parliiions casually falling or l)(('.l llllll, displaced. in other words. the engagement between the parlilions and the circular walls is a positive one resulting in i'he partitions being firmly held in an upright position, and hence in the event oi a pier-e or" fruit or a vegetable conlaincd in a compartment 11 spoiling and sl'n'inhing' in size the partitions at opposite sid s ol' the said compartment are not liable to fall or be moved out of position. ll will further be amu'ecialcd that the pieces oi lruil or vegetables may be taken as they come and packed in the compartments n. this for the reason lhul the parlilions l1. and 2 may because of the frequent ways or grooves 11/ be posilively lixcd at various distances apa t so as in snugly receive pieces of fruit or vegetables m various sizes bclwecn them.

In packing: my novel l'r'uil box, the conlents of the box are buill up from the botiom--lhal is lo say a wall I is placed on the lower head ll. and circular walls 1/. c and f are placed upon said wall 1'. A :ic c ol' fruit or a vogeiubh' is then placei in the 1 the said walls may be formed of strips of usersof the box.-

. is of a less height than the partitions IL and i and'the walls (Z and c in about the propon,

central compartment n, and pieces of fruit or vegetables are placed between the walls d 'etables is packed. in the box in. the manner he superposed in the manner described with reference to the holders C. 4 C are similar in construction to the holders and e and between the walls 6 and f, and the partitions h and c' are arranged in opposite ways or grooves m and between the pieces of fruit or vegetables so that the compartmerit n for eachpiecc of fruit oreach vegetable nicely fits and snugly contains the same. N ow while I have described the walls (Z, c and fascircular walls, it is obvious that material, and that the ends of the said strips may be lapped to a greater or less extent in order to increase or lessen the diameters of the walls as occasion demands.

Aftera horizontal ci'mrse or fruit-or veg- 1 described, a second wall 0 is positioned onthe upper edges oi the walls (Z, c, j 71. and c', and another horizontal course of fruit is arranged in the box in the manner before described, and this operation is continued until the body A is tilled with superposed holders and courses of fruit or vegetables from its lower end to its upper end shown in Fig. 1-.

. In practice the circular (Z, c and f and the partitions 72. and i may be impel for-ate as illustrated, or may be provided with perforations for ventilating purposes in the discretion oi the n'ianufacturers and In Figs. 3 "andeol. the drawings l'have illustrated modified holder-s0 designed to.

The said holders C with the exception that each provided on its bottmnwvall c with an integral circumferential flange j which takes the place of the before describe-d circular wall f and is similarly corrugated and is d ""rned to serve the same purpose :1S 'ill8 wall f with respect to the partitionsi. By reference to Fig. 3 it will. be seen that'lhc-said flange f tion shown, and by virtue otthis provision,

i i g 1.

it *will be apparent that when a course f' fruit is lifted from the box, and viewed in edge elevation, the pieces of fruit or ve -etables in the outer circle be plainly visible through the space between the 11 per edge of the flange f an'd'thenext upper. ottoin wall, 0. It will also be ap "arent' that the bottom walls 0' provided wit .flan gesf in the manner described are adapted. tof-be used after the manner of trays for cona cylindrical body, means for closing the ends of said body, and circularholders forfruit or vegetables snugly fitting and superposed in the body from the bottom to the top thereof and respectively'made up of a bottom wall, an outer or marginal circular wallarranged.onand rising from the outer portion of the bottom Wall and also arranged against the inner side of the sidewall of the body, inner anddntrmed-iate circular walls rcmovably arranged on and extending up 'aid from the bottom wall and also arranged concentrically, relative to each other and the outer circular wall; said outer, in-

-ner and intermediate, circular walls being corrugated, whereby they are provided with closely arranged upright ways or grooves, and radially-disposed, partitions removably. arranged on the bottom Wall and between the circulanwalls and positively held 1n" Ways or grooves of the latter.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set' my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-'- nesses. i j

' WELLS R. STOKELY. lVitnesses: i

N. C. HEALY, THOMAS E. frmzrm; 

